Extension

Soon, many vegetables and fruits will be ready for harvesting, and many gardeners will have more produce than they can readily eat. Those who want to preserve fresh, summer foods for later consumption will consider either freezing or canning the harvest. But is one way of preservation better than the other? The answer depends on the type of food you want to preserve.

As you and your family walk through the fairgrounds and take in all the sights and sounds of the carnival and events, be sure to stroll on down to the livestock barns. We have a lot still in store for the last three days of the county fair.

And gardening season is a good time to think about the soil in our garden plots and beds. Soil compaction creates an unfriendly growing environment for plants and is a serious problem. We see this issue not only in large crop operations with conventional tillage (tobacco, for example) but it is also a common issue for many home gardeners.

Compaction transforms soil into a difficult environment for plant growth by making it harder for roots and water to penetrate the soil.

We have 12 members attending the District 4 Invitational contest. The disciplines in which our youth will participate are archery, trap, target rifle, percussion rifle, 22 target, pistol, sport rifle, and muzzle loader rifle.

Carroll County 4-H is so successful in the area of shooting sports thanks to the men who have attended certification workshops. We have a leader in each discipline.

Grilling is one of many people’s favorite parts of summer, but it doesn’t always have to involve hamburgers, hot dogs and barbeque. There are plenty of creative ways to grill that can be healthier for you too.

The Carroll County Fair begins next week, and there are a plethora of opportunities to showcase the talents of youth and adults alike in Carroll County through 4-H and Open exhibits.

Flip through the fair catalog and consider entering exhibits. Exhibit departments range from art, photography, and floral arrangements to foods, textiles, and horticulture. Carroll County Fair catalogs are available the Extension Office.

For most people, the upcoming months signal the arrival of fresh, seasonal produce, which promises eating at its finest. However, sometimes that produce isn’t as ripe as you need it to be. Some produce that has traveled a great distance is picked while it is still green and will not be ripe when it reaches the store. For some fruits, you can speed up the ripening process at home.

4-H members are working diligently to get their projects ready to exhibit at the Carroll County Fair. So many lifelong skills are learned through participating in 4-H. There will be items displayed in many areas, including photography, recycled items, horticulture, home environment, clothing, food, electricity, arts and crafts, consumer and financial education, crops, needlework and then our animal science shows in the barn on the fairgrounds.

Summer is just one short month away—June 21. Over the past couple of weeks, we have experienced a little bit of heat, but we all know that is just a taste of what is to come.

Just as humans can suffer when the temperatures rise, our livestock and pets can feel it, too. Get a step up on the weather now, and learn to recognize when your livestock or pets may be in danger from the heat and what you can do to increase their comfort.